The borders of all three countries converge at a tripoint near the summit of Mont Dolent at an altitude of 3,820 metres (12,533 ft). The west side of the northern end of the massif is drained by the Trient, also joining the Rhône near Martigny. Its watercourse, la Dranse de Ferret, flows northwards to join the Rhône at Martigny. The northernmost section of the massif falls within Switzerland, and is bounded to the east by a separate valley, confusingly also called Val Ferret, and which separates it from the Pennine Alps. However, the extreme western end of the southern side of the massif does lie within France and is bounded by the Vallée des Glaciers (which connects to the Val Veny over the watershed of the col de la Seigne), and its waters flow southwards towards the Isère and onwards to the Rhône. From Courmayeur these waters flow southwards as the Dora Baltea towards Aosta, eventually joining the Po. The southern side of the massif lies mostly within Italy and is bounded by the Val Veny and Val Ferret whose watercourses meet just above Courmayeur. To the west it is bounded by the Val Montjoie, containing Les Contamines-Montjoie and the river Le Bon Nant which flows northwards to a confluence with the Arve near Saint-Gervais-les-Bains, and onwards to the Rhône. The northwestern side of the massif lies mostly within France, and is bounded by the valley of the Arve, containing the towns of Argentière, Chamonix and Les Houches. At its widest point the massif is 20 km (12 mi) across. The Mont Blanc massif is 46 kilometres (29 mi) long and lies in a southwest to northeasterly direction across the borders of France ( Haute-Savoie and Savoie), Italy ( Aosta Valley) and Switzerland (western Valais). The international tripoint lies at the centre of the map. The region of the Mont Blanc massif between Martigny (top), Chamonix (left), and Courmayeur (bottom left). Recent rises in average temperatures have led to significant glacial retreat across the massif and an awareness of the need for better environmental protection, including a call for World Heritage Site status. The high mountains have provided many opportunities for scientific research, including neutrino measurements within the tunnel and impact of climate change on its highest slopes. The Mont Blanc Tunnel connects the French town of Chamonix on the northern side with the Italian town of Courmayeur in the south. The long-distance Tour du Mont Blanc hiking trail circumnavigates the whole massif in an 11-day trek of 170 kilometres (110 mi). Around one hundred people a year die across its mountains and, occasionally, bodies have been lost and entombed in its glaciers for decades.Īccess into the mountains is facilitated by cable cars, mountain railways and mountain huts which offer overnight refuge to climbers and skiers. It provides a wide range of opportunities for outdoor recreation and activities such as sight-seeing, hiking, rock climbing, mountaineering and skiing. The region is now a major tourist destination, drawing in over six million visitors per year. Word of these impressive sights began to spread, and Mont Blanc was first climbed in 1786, marking the start of the sport of mountaineering. A peasant farming economy operated within these valleys for many centuries until the glaciers and mountains were "discovered" by the outside world in the 18th century. The region remained of some military importance through to the mid-20th century. The valleys that delimit the massif were used as communication routes by the Romans until they left around the 5th century AD. The mountains of the massif consist mostly of granite and gneiss rocks and at high altitudes the vegetation is an arctic-alpine flora. The massif forms a watershed between the vast catchments of the rivers Rhône and Po, and a tripoint between France, Italy and Switzerland it also marks the border between two climate regions by separating the northern and western Alps from the southern Alps. Because of its considerable overall altitude, a large proportion of the massif is covered by glaciers, which include the Mer de Glace and the Miage Glacier – the longest glaciers in France and Italy, respectively. It is named after Mont Blanc (4,808 metres (15,774 ft)), the highest point in western Europe and the European Union. It contains eleven major independent summits, each over 4,000 metres (13,123 ft) in height. The Mont Blanc massif ( French: Massif du Mont-Blanc Italian: Massiccio del Monte Bianco) is a mountain range in the Alps, located mostly in France and Italy, but also straddling Switzerland at its northeastern end. Map of Mont Blanc massif and its location (red)
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